Application Form: Proposal

Surely, since you are applying for a Teacher Training program by the Japan MEXT, the Japanese government (through their representatives) need to see whether you are an appropriate candidate for the program or not. They will judge your qualification based on how you present yourself in the application form.

Personal information part is a state of fact. Fraudulent is illegal. So this part is where you can ‘do nothing’ but copy from the legal documents.

Proposal. Now this is where it came different between my batch (2015) and 2017 batch. My document stated ‘proposed study program in Japan’ whereas the 2017 application form (as downloaded from the Japanese embassy of Indonesia website) stated ‘proposed research plan in Japan’.

Proposed study program asked you to come up with a plan of what you want to study. What would you like to learn (more) about. What would you explore.

While proposed research plan is clearly asking you to describe your plan on what research you are going to do once you are accepted in the program. This is more specific than study program. Do consider that you only have about 8-10 months to finish your research and make the report. Make it realistic and feasible for your own sake.

I have to add that University of Tsukuba has been carrying out this teacher training program for 35 years (since 1981) and it has an established program in particular for teacher trainee. There will be no “I do not know what to do because I had to decide myself what to do and what classes to take” here.

In University of Tsukuba’s teacher training program you will have compulsory classes and school visits, Japanese classes (optional after the intensive period), optional classes (no credit granted, consult with your academic advisor), and research (you have to agree on a topic and the method with your academic advisor). Apart from your own plan of ‘travel in Japan’.

So the ‘proposed study program’ may be a miss in this university and ‘proposed research plan’ is much more suitable. But it may be more relevant to other universities.

Therefore when I said “Mine and yours are different”, I did not have any intention for not sharing tips nor I did not want others to be successful. It is just as it is: different.

But, if it will make a difference to help you with your proposal, here is what I wrote.

Other different part? Selected universities and fields. This was not required on our first stage selection, but it is mandatory for 2017 application. This makes a huge difference. You will have to decide for everything since the first step while we made the choice of universities on our last application after we passed the interview stage.

If you asked whether I would be willing to share my written application form then I shall say no. Because the form does not need interpretation. What they ask is clear enough. What may not be clear enough is what WE WANT. And that is what we must deliver 🙂